U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
The Blue Goose Flies High!
Join the Junior Duck Stamp
Program in Celebrating the
100th Birthday of the National
Wildlife Refuge System
1903-2003
Articles Featured Inside
Golden Egg for Educators
Big Dividends
The Refuge Story
Why the Blue Goose?
Art in Action
Help Draw that Duck!
Waterfowl Puzzlers
Our country’s National Wildlife Refuge
System (NWRS) is a haven for wildlife
that can be used to instill a sense of
wonder in young and old alike. On the
occasion of the 100th anniversary of the
National Wildlife Refuge System, we
invite you to experience the wonder of
our national wildlife refuges. We extend
a special invitation to you to participate
in the Federal Junior Duck Stamp
Program. By doing so, you could win an
all-expense paid trip to the National
Junior Duck Stamp Competition which
will be held in April 2003 in Washington
D.C. We also hope that while taking
part, you will take time to become
familiar with the national wildlife
refuges. Information on participating
in this year’s program is outlined in
the enclosed brochure. Simply send
your students’ art work to your state
receiving site and your state
coordinator will forward your name
for the drawing. Seven teachers,
representing the seven regions of the
NWRS, will be selected. The winners
will be notified.
The Junior Duck Stamp Program is a
conservation program designed to teach
children about waterfowl and the value
of wetlands. The dividends for program
participation are tremendous. As
students increase their knowledge and
awareness of waterfowl, they develop an
appreciation for wildlife and will become
future stewards of the natural resource.
Since the inception of the program in
1990, educators and parents have
recounted the many ways it has had
an immeasurable impact on their
students. Students have increased
their observation skills, made great
improvements in other academic areas,
increased their self-esteem, and some
have launched a career in art. Ryan
Perry, Washington, Best-of-State Junior
Duck Stamp winner in 1997, is now a
professional wildlife artist with exhibits
throughout the country. Becky Latham,
Minnesota, second place winner in the
1998 National Junior Duck Stamp
Competition, captured seventh place
last year in the Federal Duck Stamp
contest, and won the 2003 Minnesota
Wild Turkey Stamp Competition. Adam
Grimm, whose mottled duck graces the
2000-2001 Federal Duck Stamp, was a
former Junior Duck Stamp winner in
the state of Ohio.
A national wildlife refuge can be an
outdoor classroom. Many provide on
and offsite environmental education
programs. Contact your local refuge for
information about these programs, to
learn about other wildlife recreation or
to arrange for a visit. A visit may
provide students with an opportunity to
observe and photograph waterfowl in its
natural habitat. Students can journal
their observations and discoveries of the
natural world. One of the important
ethical lessons we try to instill with this
program is the understanding of
copyright law. At a national wildlife
refuge, students can begin to develop
their own references for their art work
by sketching or photographing habitat
and waterfowl in the wild. To enhance
your classroom activities, there are
many fact sheets on wildlife species,
birds and birdhouses, endangered
species as well as many additional
publications and electronic files for your
use. To obtain information about the
National Wildlife Refuge System or to
locate your nearest wildlife refuge, call:
1-800-344-WILD or find us on the
Internet at http://refuges.fws.gov
Terry Bell
National Junior Duck
Stamp Coordinator
2 The Blue Goose Flies High!
“I have been involved with the Junior
Duck Stamp Program for five years.
Creating the design for the stamp
provides my students with a method to
experience the practical benefits of art
beyond the classroom and to gain an
appreciation for wildlife through
observation. I have seen my students’
self esteem soar with the stimulation,
encouragement, and recognition this
program provides.”
Cosette Hobday, Valley Middle School,
Apple Valley, MN
Dear Educator:
Golden Egg
for Educators
Win a trip to the 2003
Junior Duck Stamp Competition.
To be eligible:
■ Acquaint yourself with
the National Wildlife
Refuge System.
■ Introduce your students
to refuges.
■ Participate in the 2003
National Junior Duck
Stamp Program.
“Conservation
is more than a
good idea; it is
a necessity for
the enjoyment
of today and
tomorrow.”
David Schmitz,
age 17, Ionia, IA
Students learn to identify ducks and
learn important concepts regarding
wetlands, wildlife, habitat, and water
quality.
“This is the best
thing that has
ever happened
to me in my
whole life!”
Nick Stone, age 7,
Kensai, ND
The Blue Goose Flies High! 3
At left: Learning to paint.
This column, from top:
Learning about refuges, flyways and the
needs of migrating birds.
The adult Federal Duck Stamp
Program and the Junior Duck Stamp
Program foster wetland and waterfowl
conservation; Bob Hautman and Aremy
McCann at the first day of issue ceremony
for their respective stamp designs.
Families celebrate artistic
achievements together.
Common ties build friendships: Aremy
McCann, MN, 2001-02 National JDS
winner and Stephanie Bishop, OR,
2001-02 third place National JDS.
Youth Involvement in Conservation Pays Big Dividends!
Taking pride in artistic
accomplishments.
A very important date for wildlife
conservation is fast approaching. On
March 14, 2003, America will celebrate
the Centennial Anniversary of the
National Wildlife Refuge System
(NWRS). Teddy Roosevelt would be
proud to know that America shared and
expanded upon his conservation vision.
President Roosevelt’s conservation
message is already reaching our youth
through the National Junior Duck Stamp
Program and your participation will
ensure that this continues. However,
Teddy Roosevelt’s work is incomplete.
Your understanding and appreciation of
the National Wildlife Refuge System will
enhance the work you are already doing
in the classroom to make students aware
of the necessity of protecting the
environment for future generations.
We challenge you with an enormous task
which will pay you and your students
dividends beyond your imagination. We
want you, the educator, to know the
interrelatedness of the following
information regarding environmental
protection. Teddy Roosevelt was one of
our first conservationists and was
instrumental in paving the way; the
establishment and maintenance of the
NWRS is critical to the overall health of
the environment; national wildlife
refuges are established along four major
flyways; the Federal Duck Stamp is
one of the major contributors in the
protection of lands and waters, the Junior
Duck Stamp Program is modeled after
the adult program and both stamp
programs foster conservation.
We encourage you to visit a national
wildlife refuge to give your students an
opportunity to engage and experience
wetlands, waterfowl, and wildlife. The
famous conservationist, Aldo Leopold
said that, “There are some who can live
without wild things, and some who
cannot.” Aldo Leopold could not. We hope
a visit to a national wildlife refuge will
instill in your students a similar feeling.
Wetland ecosystems are essential for the
maintenance of healthy populations of
migratory birds, as well as habitat for
fish, shellfish, and other wildlife. Thirty-five
percent of all rare, threatened, and
endangered species are dependent on
wetland ecosystems. Wetland ecosystems
provide critical flood and storm control
values, water availability and water
quality. Despite their significance, more
than 50% of the original wetlands in the
U.S. alone have been lost. While these
facts are important for your students to
know, it is more important for them to
develop an appreciation of wetlands and
waterfowl and to feel the “loss” and the
“harm” if we did not have them.
President Roosevelt understood the need
to maintain healthy populations of
migratory birds. His action in 1903 to
protect the small three-acre Pelican
Island in Florida as a refuge for herons,
egrets, and pelicans, set in motion a
legacy for future generations. Back then,
there was a growing desire for plumed
hats and milliners were seeking more and
more feathers. Thus a market was created
and Roosevelt was aware of its dire
impact on bird populations. Roosevelt
responded by establishing more than 50
wildlife areas for herons, egrets, pelicans,
and other wading birds and waterfowl.
Some of the lands provided protection for
large mammals including bison, elk, and
antelope. Roosevelt’s legacy now spans
93 million acres across the United States
and its territories.
This network of federal lands, dedicated
to wildlife conservation, is known as the
National Wildlife Refuge System. The
system includes more than 535 wildlife
refuges with at least one refuge in every
state and U.S. Territory. The system also
includes more than 3,000 Waterfowl
Production Areas (WPA’s). WPA’s,
ranging in size from less than one acre to
more than 3,500 acres, are scattered
across ten states in the Northern Great
4 The Blue Goose Flies High!
The National Wildlife Refuge System
“Wild things
need wild
places to live.”
Robin Byron, age, 8,
Hardin, MT
President Theodore Roosevelt
Plains region. These wetlands and
grasslands provide critical habitat to
ducks, geese, shorebirds, songbirds,
native plants and other wildlife.
In the beginning, refuges were
established with one or more species in
mind. For example, in 1908 the first refuge
to specifically protect migratory
waterfowl was established at Lower
Klammath Lake Basin in California and
Oregon. The establishment of additional
refuges for migratory waterfowl
increased around 1930. This increase
resulted from an awareness that
waterfowl numbers throughout the 1920’s
were declining due to market hunting and
over-harvest. The impact of market
hunting was compounded by the drainage
of wetlands and successive drought years,
all of which placed enormous pressures on
waterfowl. The need to protect waterfowl
became apparent. Bird banding, started
in the 1920’s, began to revolutionize the
overall understanding of waterfowl. Bird
banding is an important research tool in
which wild birds are captured and marked
with a numbered metal band placed on
the leg. In these early years, banding
enabled researchers to map the location
of the breeding and wintering grounds, as
well as the routes followed by migrants.
Today, bird banding continues to provide
other biological data which increases our
knowledge of birds and their habits and
helps in conservation efforts. In the U.S.,
the center for banding is the Bird
Banding Laboratory in Laurel, MD.
Research established that many species
of waterfowl, songbirds, shorebirds, and
raptors nest in one area and travel to
another for food, water, and shelter
during the winter months. These
breeding and wintering grounds are
often thousands of miles apart. Finding
adequate food and resting spots in
between is critical. Based on this
knowledge national wildlife refuges were
established along the four migratory
corridors or flyways specifically to
provide wintering, staging, and breeding
grounds necessary for the birds. The
four flyways are the Pacific Flyway,
Central Flyway, Mississippi Flyway, and
Atlantic Flyway.
National wildlife refuges once set
aside for a particular species, such as
waterfowl, eventually evolved into
general refuges for all kinds of wildlife.
Today, national wildlife refuges protect a
diversity of habitats. These habitats
support more than 700 bird species,
220 mammal species, 250 reptile and
amphibian species and 200 species of fish.
Each refuge is unique, contributing to a
healthy ecosystem which supports this
diversity of species. Refuges provide
wildlife-dependent recreation
opportunities including wildlife
photography, hunting, fishing, wildlife
observation, interpretation, and
education.
One of the major contributors to the
NWRS has been the Federal Duck
Stamp Program which began in 1934.
Since then, the Federal Duck Stamp
Program has become one of the most
successful conservation programs ever
initiated. Today more than 1.5 million
stamps are sold each year. Waterfowl
hunters are required to purchase the
stamps to hunt waterfowl. Over the
years, sales have generated more than
$600 million and have purchased over
five million acres of wildlife habitat for
the NWRS.
Wetlands, waterfowl, numerous other
birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, and
amphibians have prospered because of
habitat protection made possible by the
duck stamps. People, too, have benefitted,
from Federal Duck Stamps. The refuges
offer areas in which to hike, bird watch,
or to simply enjoy a sunset. A visit to a
national wildlife refuge can be a valuable
part of your students’ participation in the
Junior Duck Stamp Program as it offers
students a place to observe and gain
knowledge of waterfowl.
The Junior Duck Stamp Program is
modeled after the adult Federal Duck
Stamp Program. Both programs create
a design for a stamp with the intent of
raising an awareness and appreciation
of wildlife. While the adult Federal
Duck Stamps help fund land acqusition
for the NWRS, the Junior Duck Stamps
fund scholarships. Both programs foster
conservation. Both programs help carry
out Teddy Roosevelt’s mission to
protect the environment for future
generations. “Wild beasts and birds are
by right not the property merely of the
people who are alive today, but the
property of unknown generations,
whose belongings we have no right to
squander.” –Teddy Roosevelt
The Blue Goose Flies High! 5
“If you harm the
environment,
you harm
yourself.”
Roxie Tenhoff, age 11,
Cokato, MN
■ Pacific Flyway
■ Central Flyway
■ Mississippi Flyway
■ Atlantic Flyway
Each national wildlife refuge is
identified by a posted sign with the
emblem of a “blue” goose. “Whenever
you meet this sign, respect it. It means
that the land behind the sign has been
dedicated by the American people to
preserving, for themselves and their
children, as much of our native wildlife
as can be retained along with modern
civilization.” –Rachel Carson
6 The Blue Goose Flies High!
The Blue Goose:
It Tells You Where You Are!
Who would have thought that the
issuance of a single Stamp in 1934 would
launch a wildlife conservation effort
unsurpassed by any other? The National
Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS), the
world’s most comprehensive system of
lands dedicated to wildlife conservation,
was the benefactor. Since 1934, more than
one hundred million Federal Duck
Stamps have been sold, generating more
than 600 million dollars used to purchase
more than five million acres of wetland
and upland habitat for migratory birds
and other wildlife.
The new slogan for the Junior Duck
Stamp Program is “Art is Action,
Conservation for the next 100 Years.”
Certainly, Jay Norwood Darling, known
as “Ding” Darling, was the artist of the
last 100 years. Ding Darling’s life was
completely dedicated to wildlife
conservation. Through his editorial
cartoons and his etchings, he raised
awareness of the need for conservation.
It was Ding Darling who wisely devised
the program whereby hunters became
the stewards of the very waterfowl they
hunted. Through Ding Darling’s work,
the Federal Duck Stamp Act of 1934 was
passed, requiring hunters to purchase a
duck stamp and affix it to his or her
hunting license. It was Ding Darling’s
brush and ink drawing of a pair of
mallards which served as the design for
the very first duck stamp. This stamp
went on sale for the first time on August
22, 1934. It sold for $1.00 and was
purchased by some 635,000 hunters.
Today these first duck stamps are
valued at thousands of dollars. Since
then, the price of a Federal Duck Stamp
has gradually risen to the current price
of $15.00.
In an unprecendented event, the
United States Postal Service in 1984
issued a commemorative reprint of
Ding Darling’s stamp. It created a
twenty-cent first class stamp to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the
Federal Duck Stamp. More than 100
million of these stamps were sold,
making it the most widely published and
recognized example of wildlife art.
Duck Stamps:
A True Sign of Art in Action
The mission of the NWRS is to
administer a national network of lands
and waters for the conservation,
management and where appropriate,
restoration of the fish, wildlife and plant
resources and their habitats within the
U.S.A. for the benefit of present and
future generations of Americans.
Find the location of the refuge nearest
you: http://refuges.fws.gov
This blue goose, designed by J.N. “Ding”
Darling, has become the symbol of the
National Wildlife Refuge System.
1934, First Federal Duck Stamp, Jay
Norwood “Ding” Darling, Mallards
“Duck stamps
help save
ducks.”
Ariel Gillespie,
age 8, Altoona, WI
Why the National Wildlife
Refuge System?
We encourage you to visit a national
wildlife refuge or a pond near you to
observe waterfowl. Use a journal or
sketch pad to record your observations.
After you have completed your research,
use the following sketches to assist you in
drawing your picture. The sketches are
from the California Waterfowl
Association’s Waterfowl ID and Drawing
Guide and are reprinted below with the
organization’s permission. The complete
Drawing Guide, with additional drawing
approaches and tips, can be downloaded
from www.calwaterfowl.org.
The Blue Goose Flies High! 7
Making Tracks to Draw a
Duck, Swan, or Goose
1. Start with basic body and head shape
2. Add the major features, the bill,
wing, and neck
3. Shape up the main parts of the body
and draw the eye.
4. Add the detailed lines and background
5. Color the body and background lightly
6. Shade in shadows going from
light to dark
7. Do the final drawing, color lightly and
add more detail
2002-2003 Federal Duck Stamp
Joe Hautman, MN, Black Scoters
2002-2003 Junior Duck Stamp
Nathan Closson, MT, Mallards
Your Purchase of the Federal
Duck Stamp Helps to Buy Land
for National Wildlife Refuges!
Your Purchase of the Junior Duck
Stamp Helps to Provide Awards and
Scholarships to Participating Students.
A. Who designed the first Federal
Duck Stamp?
B. Which waterfowl appears on the
National Wildlife Sign?
C. Approximately, how many National
Wildlife Refuges are there?
D. Where was the very first National
Wildlife Refuge established?
E. What is the date of the centennial
of the NWRS?
F. In the U.S.A., what are the
migratory routes of birds usually
called?
G. Who established the first National
Wildlife Refuges?
H. What was the first National
Wildlife Refuge created specifically
for waterfowl?
I. What percentage of the original
wetlands in the USA have been
lost?
J. Which research tool helped
revoluntionize information about
waterfowl migration?
Answers
A. Jay Norwood Darling
B. The Blue Goose
C. 535
D. Pelican Island, FLA
E. March 14, 2003
F. Flyways
G. Teddy Roosevelt
H. Klammath Basin NWR
I. 50%
J. Bird Banding
To purchase these stamps call 1 800/STAMP 24
